


Ocean Blue Eyes

by littleknightowl



Series: Clouds & Waves [1]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Kiseki no Sedai - Freeform, M/M, Slow Burn, generation of miracles - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2020-10-20 01:21:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 15,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20666972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littleknightowl/pseuds/littleknightowl
Summary: Love is a funny thing. It isn’t an equation that can be solved by plugging in letters and numbers. It is unpredictable and wild. It is an enigma meant to be forever unsolved.Kise Ryouta does not like mysteries. He likes organization, everything filed neatly away. Every move calculated; every word spoken intended to lead to his desired outcome. And when something ended, that was the end. At least, that was the case for everything except for one Aomine Daiki.





	1. Sky Blue Eyes

Warm. That is how Kise would describe those dazzling blue eyes. They are grey blue storms of passion and bright blue skies of loyalty and determination. And they are absolutely enchanting. Unlike the raging oceans that he once treasured, full of raw energy and intensity. Midnight blue eyes that left him empty and cold as he sunk deeper and deeper, drowning in the unforgiving undertow of emotions. 

After two years of watching his mentor, Kuroko Tetsuya, and his idol, Aomine Daiki, fall in and out of love, he was thankful to put some distance between himself and all parties involved. It may have been different if he had watched from a distance, but he ended up having a front row seat to the epic middle school romance that was Aomine and Kuroko.

If Kise had to decide between friendship and a broken heart, he would choose friendship. Anything to keep Aomine by his side and Kuroko happy. They were his two dearest friends after all.

So Kise learned how to conceal his shattered heart, pieces glued together as a quick fix. He perfected his fake smile, manufacturing the ideal best friend, sports star and model. And all the while he dotted his I’s and crossed his T’s, he forgot it was all an act as his new skin clung to him, protecting him from bleeding out. 

“Oi, new guy, state your name and the position you would like to play.”

Kise locks eyes with Kaijo’s captain, Kasamatsu Yukio, searching those endless skies for something to latch on to; something that would drag him out of the drowning waves.

“We don’t have all day.” 

Noticing the slight wrinkles on the boy’s forehead, his gaze trails down to the source, and his eyes linger on the downturned lips. Kise tests the captain’s patience, prolonging his answer. The silence grows, and he feels Kasamatsu’s growing annoyance. The older boy’s intense presence pulses in the air, and the room shifts. 

Kasamatsu clicks his tongue.

Kise inhales and puts on his best, charming smile. “Hi, I am Kise Ryouta, former member of Teiko Middle School. I can play any position. I am a Gemini and blood type A. I model, but that won’t get in the way of practices. Oh, can I be number seven? I always thought–” 

He is interrupted by a slap on the back of his head.

“Eh? How mean,” Kise whines. 

“I only asked you for your name and position. Learn how to answer correctly,” Kasamatsu yells over his shoulder.

Kise’s slender eyes turn to slits, and he leans into Kasamatsu so they are face to face. “I am the Golden Boy of the Generation of Miracles, use me however you want, Captain Kasamatsu.” His tone drops and he enunciates the last word. 

Kasamatsu pauses, slightly taken aback by his junior’s forwardness. Then he is shoving Kise’s face away and walking back to the front of the gym. “Get out of my face moron, and address me as your senpai. I don’t care how amazing you were in middle school.”

Kise sighs and shrugs his shoulders. “Aye aye captain senpai sir.” 

Kasamatsu tenses, but his teammate, Moriyama, places his hand on his shoulder to calm him down. So he settles for a glare. 

Kise winks.  _ Glare at me as long as you want. As long as you are looking at me. _

He made the team. Of course he did. Kasamatsu was just trying to hold authority over him.  _ How cute _ . But as Kise starts training with the team, he learns why Kasamatsu holds so much importance in seniority. Moriyama, Kobori, and Hayakawa, along with the rest of the upperclassmen, worked hard and put their time and energy into creating a strong foundation and building the team. They are not one of the strongest teams in the nation for nothing. And Kise respects their passion and effort.

“Seirin High?” Kise asks in surprise.

“Yes, we are holding a practice game in a week,” Kasamatsu replies.

Moriyama leans back to look at Kise from behind Kasamatsu. “You seem very interested Kise, what’s up?” 

The team is sitting on the ground in a circle as they eat lunch on the rooftop. They try to eat together at least once a week. 

“Is it because of that guy?” Kasamatsu glances up at Kise.

Kise avoids eye contact and takes a bite of his sandwich. 


	2. New Flames

_ I can’t believe I am doing this. It’s been over a year since I talked to him. _ Kise makes his way to Seirin’s gymnasium to see the basketball team practicing. He observes from a distance, paying close attention to the redhead. 

_ I’ve never seen him before. Wonder where he came from? More importantly . . . _

“Why is there a crowd of girls?” He hears one of the players shout. 

Fangirls of his modelling career surround him, asking for pictures and autographs. Kise stands up on the stage he had previously been sitting and watching from and spots his old mentor. He frowns for a split second before it is replaced by a smile and waves at the Seirin players. 

“Kurokocchi!” He politely slips away from the girls and runs over to Kuroko. The name feels foreign on his lips.  _ It really has been a while _ . 

Kuroko nods at him. “Kise-kun.”

Kise pouts and puts his hands on his hips. “Eh? That’s all I get? It’s been so long. You’re not going to kneel on the floor with your arms wide open in greetings? Like this!” Kise mimics the act. 

“Kise Ryouta, of the Generation of Miracles?” The girl standing next to Kuroko asks. 

_ Is she the manager? No Kasamatsu-senpai said that Seirin’s coach is a high school girl. This must be her.  _

Kise stands up and turns to her when movement from the left corner of his eye catches his attention in time to see a basketball hurtling his way. His reflexes are above average, and he stops the ball before it hits his money making face. He scowls at the basketball before looking up to see the redhead. His eyes are challenging.

“Kagami, don’t just throw basketballs at people’s heads,” Seirin’s coach scolds.

Ignoring his coach, Kagami continues to stare down Kise. “You’re one of them right? Play me.”

Kise laughs. “Sorry, I don’t know who you are, but I am only interested in Kurokocchi.” 

Kagami stomps over, invading Kise’s space. Kise does not budge.

“Kise-kun, why are you here?”

“Kurokocchi,” Kise looks past Kagami and whines. “Always so blunt. We’re playing you next week. I thought I’d drop by to say hi.”

Kuroko studies Kise’s pouting face for a moment.  _ I’ve always hated those eyes of his. I can never tell what he is thinking _ .

Kuroko glances at Kagami who refuses to move and nods. “Yes, we look forward to it.” He grabs Kagami’s shirt and starts dragging him away. “We will see you then.”

The rest of the team looks between Kise and the retreating figures. 

Kise sighs.  _ How exhausting.  _

A week passes and Kise finds himself face to face with Kagami once again. He reminds him of Aomine, and Kise cannot help but feel a bit nostalgic. This is how they played before Kuroko left. Before everything went to shit. 

It does not take him long to realize how frequently Kuroko coordinates with Kagami. _So Kagami has more in common with that guy besides their basketball_. _As serious as Kuroko is, I can tell how much he is enjoying himself._ _I wonder how much Kagami knows. I wonder if those two are close. I wonder . . ._

“Oi Kise!” Kasamatsu kicks him in the back, and he stumbles to the floor. “What’s with all the daydreaming. This is your old teammate right?”

Kise looks into those piercing eyes always filled with so much passion and smiles. “Senpai, why must you always be so rough with me?” He whines and pouts as fake tears run down his face. 

“They’re winning, you dumbass Golden Boy.” Kasamatsu bends down to his level. “You told me to use you however I wish. Well then, be useful.” He turns around and starts barking orders.

_ Well that was unexpected.  _ And for the first time in over a year, Kise has chills.

“Good game.” Kise approaches Kuroko. “Kurokocchi, do you mind if we talk for a moment?” 

They walk to a nearby street court in silence. 

_ I know I called him out here, but I am not even sure what I want to ask him. No, I know what I want to talk about, but where to start. But so much has happened. I should have gotten my thoughts in order before approaching him. I wonder– _

“Kise-kun, was there something you wanted to ask me?”

Kise snaps to attention. They already reached the courts, and Kuroko sat his bag down. 

“I . . . hmm.” To give himself something to do, Kise picks up the basketball Kuroko had been carrying and jumps up onto the bench. “Not that I didn’t believe in you, but I didn’t expect to lose. Your new partner, Kagami . . .” He trails off.

“Yes, Kagami-kun is amazing.” Kuroko looks up at Kise as Kise spins the basketball on his pointer finger. “He reminds me of  _ him _ , before everything changed.”

Kise pauses and drops the ball. It bounces away and the sound of people playing on the next court over, the squeak of tennis shoes, the bounce of the ball fill the tense air. 

“Ha, yeah.” Kise smiles sadly and looks down at his hands. 

_ I wonder . . . _

“Kise-kun, are you alright?”

Kise looks up sharply and watches Kuroko retrieve the basketball. Kuroko walks back over, and Kise sits down on the back of the bench and smiles. “Is that why you chose him?”

Kuroko starts dribbling the ball. 

“Hey, Kurokocchi, why did you leave?”

The ball bounces off Kuroko’s shoe, and he goes to retrieve it again.

“Did it have something to do with that guy?”

Kuroko stops in front of Kise. “Although Aomine-kun was the first to change, he wasn’t the only one.”

Kise inhales sharply. He has not said Aomine’s name since they graduated from middle school. It is painful to hear Kuroko call him by his name. 

_ Well it’s not like I could avoid it forever _ .

“Yeah, well after losing to you,” Kise pouts and tilts his head back, “I’m starting to understand your reasoning for everything. Maybe. If only a little. But,” he smiles at Kuroko, “ever since joining Kaijo, I want to win for them. I want to win with them.”

Kuroko smiles.

_ Wow, I forgot what a beautiful smile he has. With everything that happened, he stopped smiling. I guess I did too, at least, not like I used to.  _

“Kuroko,” Kagami stomps over and squeezes Kuroko’s left shoulder. “You bastard. We have been looking all over for you.”

“Ah, sorry, sorry.” Kise jumps down from the bench. “I asked to talk to him.” He picks up his things and starts to walk away.

“Kise-kun.”

Kise looks over his shoulder and smirks. “I will beat you next time, Kurokocchi, Kagamicchi.” 

“Ehhhh, what’s Kagamicchi?” Kagami yells after him.

“Congratulations, that means Kise-kun respects you.” Kise hears Kuroko explain in his apathetic voice as he walks out of the courts. 

“Hey Kise.” Kagami runs after him as he reaches the corner. “See you at the Inter High. You better not lose before we play.”

Kise’s smile grows as he turns the corner. 


	3. Sparkly

The Inter High preliminaries are approaching quickly, and Kise can hardly contain himself.  _ I forgot what it felt like to love a sport this much. _

“Hey, Kasamatsu-senpai, we are sure to make it to the semi-finals, don’t you think?”

“What?” Kasamatsu leans against the metal fence while they watch the soccer club warm up.

“With you and the others, and well, of course me, the only teams that can compete are the ones with my former teammates.” Kise leans down to his captain’s level, and a goofy grin stretches across his face. “Right? I’m right, right? I can’t wait to play Kagamicchi and Kurokocchi again. I won’t lose.”

Kasamatsu shoves him away. “Don’t get so close, idiot. And what are you going on about? First we need to make it through the prelims. You should never expect victory.”

“But–”

“No buts.” He rolls his eyes. “Your arrogance is exhausting.” He starts walking towards the basketball gym.

“Ha.” Kise runs to catch up, matching his stride. “I exhaust you? But obviously not enough since you still put up with me.” Kise teases and pokes his senior’s cheek. 

Kasamatsu pauses and looks at Kise. 

“What?” Kise stops and stares back.

He slaps a hand over Kise’s face. “Your sparkly face is annoying. I’m tired of looking at it.”

“Wahhhh.” Kise spazzes, long limbs flailing everywhere.

“And,” Kasamatsu grabs his tie to pull him down so they are face to face. “Why are you so damn tall?” He releases Kise and continues walking. “How irritating,” he says under his breath. 

Kise stares at his back with a blank face until an idea pops up in his head. “Hey, senpai.” Kise walks quickly, just in time to slide in front of the door, halting Kasamatsu. “You’re always calling me Golden Boy and commenting on my silky hair or shining eyes.” Kise’s eyes turn to slits and he smirks as he leans against the door frame, crossing his arms and tilting his head. “You think I’m pretty, don’t ya?”

Kasamatsu frowns and jabs Kise in the gut.

Kise doubles over, losing his composure.

Kasamatsu opens the gym door and heads to the locker room. “Stop wasting your breath on the obvious.” He stops in his tracks, looking over his shoulder with a scowl. “Anyone with eyes can tell how beautiful you are.” 

Kise freezes.  _ Ha, you never disappoint in surprising me.  _

They practice as usual, but Kise cannot get Kasamatsu’s words out of his head. He is not paying attention and the rest of the team notices. Kasamatsu does not say anything about the matter. By the time practice ends, all Kise can remember is that his team won the scrimmage. He showers and changes quickly and is the first one to leave.

“Hey, Kasamatsu.”

“Hmmm?” He looks up at Moriyama. 

“You and Kise hardly said a word to each other during practice. Did something happen?”

“You didn’t even hit him once,” Kobori adds with a chuckle. 

“There wasn’t much to say,” Kasamatsu answers as he stuffs his uniform into his gym bag. “We were both focused on practice.”

“Bullshit.” Hayakawa joins into the conversation. “I kept having to catch your rebounds.”

“Kise’s team only won because he was on autopilot,” Kobori says.

“What’s on your mind?” Asks Moriyama.

Kasamatsu leans forward and rests his elbows on his thighs. “I don’t know.”

“What do you want with the kid?” Moriyama pushes.

Kasamatsu pushes his forehead against his clasped hands. “I don’t know.”

Kise and Kasamatsu go to watch the Seirin versus Shutoku game. Kise has jitters the whole way there, and it is hard for him to contain his energy. He circles Kasamatsu as he endlessly chatters on about his former teammates.

“After losing to Kurokocchi, it’s exciting to not know the outcome. I’m not sure who will win the game, Kurokocchi or Midorimacchi. Either way, it’ll be a close match.”

“Kise,” Kasamatsu pinches the bridge of his nose, “would you please stop circling me. Walk in a straight line.”

But Kise does not hear him. He is too absorbed in his thoughts.

“Oi, Kise.” He trips Kise and grabs his blazer to halt his fall. “Calm down.”

Kise pouts and stands up straight. “Always so harsh with me, senpai.”

“You’re especially talkative today,” Kasamatsu glances up at him, “which is saying a lot.” 

“Ha, well . . .” Kise tries for a fake smile as he reaches his right hand up to rub the back of his neck and avoids eye contact. “Kurokocchi and I have not always gotten along. I mean, I respect and acknowledge his skill. He was a good mentor when I first joined Teiko’s basketball team, but . . .” 

He grabs a strand of his hair and rubs it between his fingers. 

“The six of us had a shifty team dynamic, and I wasn’t always happy with where I fell in line. After I finally came to terms with my relationships within the team, Kurokocchi just ups and disappears. He held us together, and when we were at our lowest, he left. I’ve always resented him for that.” 

Kise releases his hair and shoves his hands into his pants pockets. He tilts his head up and watches the clouds being carried by the light wind. 

“Established boundaries and relationships and left me with the leftovers,” Kise almost whispers to himself.

Kasamatsu clicks his tongue and Kise’s mind finally catches up to his mouth. 

He abruptly turns around and smiles at Kasamatsu. “But that was just my childish, selfishness and arrogance. The others didn’t feel that way. I think it just hit me a bit harder. Finally seeing him after so long and playing him and then losing to him . . . man, that definitely hurt,” Kise laughs. “I’m just not sure what to do from here.”

Kasamatsu walks up to Kise and pulls him down by his blazer so he can ruffle his hair. His fingers linger, running through Kise’s soft locks. 

Kise is about to close his eyes when Kasamatsu pulls away. 

He looks over his right shoulder, across the street to where a group of kids are playing. “You no longer have to worry about those things, idiot. You are Kaijo’s ace, plain and simple. And I am your captain and your friend. Stop carrying around all these heavy thoughts and talk to me more. You aren’t as sparkly when you act like this.” 

“Sparkly?” Kise blinks in surprise as he tries to absorb everything Kasamatsu just said. 

“Argh, yes!” Kasamatsu flicks Kise in the middle of the forehead.

“Ow! Senpai,” Kise whines as he holds his forehead.

“Your idiot, sparkling, Golden Boy brain of yours can’t handle all that thinking. Damnit! Now you put me in a foul mood.”

Kise laughs and smiles fondly at his captain. “You’re always in a foul mood.”

Kasamatsu clicks his tongue. 

They continue walking in silence, until they make it to where the tournament is being held.  _ After beating me, you better not lose Kurokocchi. _

Kise’s left eyebrow twitches in annoyance. He smiles through his clenched teeth as he looks around the table at Kuroko, Kagami and Midorima.  _ Why am I surrounded by these guys? _

“Should we order?” Kuroko suggests.

“So how does it feel to lose to Kurokocchi, Midorimacchi?” Kise smirks.

“You’re one to talk, Kise,” Midorima says cooly.

Kise laughs.  _ Midorimacchi, you’re so obviously annoyed right now. _ They are silent as they eat their food. Kise can feel Kasamatsu watching him, and he is fidgety under his captain’s stare. 

“Kise-kun, are you feeling okay?”

Kise bites down on his tongue and his eyes start watering. “Ow!”

“Idiot, what are you doing?” Kagami says while stuffing food down his throat. 

“Kagami-kun, please do not eat with your mouth full.”

“Shut up Kuroko.” Kagami rolls his eyes. 

Midorima sighs as he cuts his food into tidy squares, and Kise cannot hold down his laughter.

“What are you laughing at, pretty boy?” Kagami shouts, catching the attention of the people around them. 

“Eh? Pretty boy?” Kise blinks at Kagami who has not stopped scarfing his food down. He glances at Kuroko and notices a slight frown. “It’s just that –”

“We’re leaving.” 

Kise looks up to see Kasamatsu standing over him, glaring at Kagami.

Kagami stops eating and locks eyes with Kasamatsu. “It doesn’t look like Kise is done eating.” The room is silent, all eyes on the confrontation. 

“It’s okay, Kagamicchi.” Kise stands up, blocking his captain. “It’s getting late.”

Kuroko’s face is uncharacteristically unpleasant, and he reaches over to place a hand on Kagami’s arm. “Kagami-kun, we should –” He is cut off by the flying omelette that lands on Midorima’s head. 

“Haha, oops,” Takao, Shutoku’s point guard, smiles nervously as his voice echoes through the quiet room. 

Kise watches as Midorima silently stands up, walks over to Takao and drags him out of the restaurant. 

Without missing a beat, Seirin’s coach stands up. “Well, that is our cue to leave.” The basketball players quickly stream out, leaving only Kagami, Kuroko, Kasamatsu and Kise.

“We are leaving.” Kuroko looks at Kise. “Good luck with the rest of your games Kise-kun.” And with that, they are gone. 

Kise slumps back into his chair. 

“Oi, come on. I told you that we are leaving.” Kasamatsu pokes Kise on the back of his head.

“But senpai, I’m exhausted.” Kise lazily slaps his senior’s hand away. “Hey,” Kise leans back in the chair and looks up at Kasamatsu, “next time, don’t let Takao, or anyone else, drag you away.” He swings an arm across his face and covers his eyes.  _ Earlier, I laughed because I thought it was nice how we could eat and talk like we used too. But I guess it’s still a little too soon to hope for everything to go back to the way it was.  _

“Okay.” Kasamatsu ruffles Kise’s hair. 


	4. Stirring Tides

The Inter High preliminaries are going smoothly. The rest of the Generation of Miracles keep advancing to the next round until Seirin is stopped by a certain guy’s team.

“What a jerk.” Kise jabs the number five button on the vending machine. The Seirin versus Too game just ended, and Kise needed to get up and move around. “He knew he was playing Kurokocchi. He’s seen Kagamicchi play, and he still only showed up for the second half. Fucking arrogant bastard.” 

Kise bends down to grab his coffee drink when a shadow looms over him, and the vending machine shakes with the weight of a person. “Oi, who you calling arrogant, model-kun. I take full responsibility for my mistake.”

Kise freezes, instantly recognizing the raspy voice.  _ Fuck.  _ He squeezes his eyes shut and takes a deep breath.  _ Well, with Seirin losing to him, I would play him eventually.  _

Aomine bends over, trying to get his attention. “Kise.”

_ I hate the way he still says my name, in that stupidly lazy drawl of his. _ Kise opens his eyes and exhales. He swiftly stands to his full height, causing Aomine to step back. “Mo, Aominecchi, you shouldn’t sneak up on people like that,” Kise pouts. “And stop making fun of my modelling career.” Kise crosses his arms against his chest and looks off to the side. 

Aomine smirks and reaches around Kise to grab the coffee drink still sitting at the bottom of the vending machine. “You forgot this, pretty boy model-kun.”

Kise glares up at Aomine, annoyed with the few inches he has on him. “Keep it.” Kise closes the distance between them and puts on his best charming smile. “You can pay me back when I beat you in the Inter High, Aominecchi.”

A minute goes by with them smiling at each other, an unspoken challenge in their eyes.  _ Damn those eyes. Endless oceans that trap you in their undercurrent.  _

At the end of the hall, Kasamatsu watches the whole exchange. He clicks his tongue and sprints towards Kise. He lands a kick right in the middle of the ace’s back. “Where have you been idiot? You said you’d be right back.”

“Ahh, senpai,” Kise cries. “One day you’re going to break my back.”

“Then stop being a nuisance.” Kasamatsu leaves Kise on the floor and turns to Aomine. “Good game.”

Aomine backs up and casually leans against the opposite wall. “So this is Kise’s captain. Satsuki’s told me about you.”

“Yes,” Kise stands up and places himself between the two men. “Kasamatsu-senpai, this is the former ace of the Generation of Miracles, Aominecchi.”

“Aomine,” Aomine says indifferently. He pushes off the wall and starts walking away.

“Aominecchi,” Kise calls after him. “See you on the court.”

Aomine waves over his shoulder without looking back. 

“Oi Kise,” Kasamatsu shoves his head down so he can lean on him. “Members of your fucking rainbow squad keep popping up everywhere like daisies.”

Today is the day, and Kise cannot decide if he is more excited or nervous about playing Aomine. He cannot focus on anything else and ends up spacing out during all his classes. He watches the second hand tick closer and closer to the end of the school day. Holding his breath, Kise counts down the last ten seconds and he is out of there as soon as the bell rings.

They are on the bus headed toward the Inter High basketball stadium. Kise sits next to Kasamatsu, opting for the aisle seat to give his nerves room to stand up and move around. It is the third time Kise has stood up in the past fifteen minutes when Kasamatsu finally loses his cool.

He grabs Kise by his basketball jacket and yanks him back down into the seat. “Sit still would ya. We are almost there.”

Kise does not respond. After a minute of silence, he becomes fidgety and starts bouncing his right knee up and down.

Kasamatsu takes a deep breath and gently places a hand on Kise’s knee. “Kise, breathe.”

Kise goes stock still, surprised by the contact. 

“We believe in you.”

_ We believe in you. _ Those words echo in Kise’s head as his last chance to beat Too Academy slips through his fingers. He slowly inhales before running back to the other end of the court, dropping into a defensive stance. 

He lost. The realization is a slap in the face, and Aomine’s silence is the sting that comes afterwards. He tries to stand up, but his legs give out. He has used up all his energy. Tears fall freely out of frustration, angry that his body is not able to keep up with his will and saddened that he could not be the person to pull Aomine down from his dark and lonely pedestal. Wholly disappointed in himself for letting his teammates down. 

And then a strong pair of arms are lifting him up, sharing his burden, helping to carry his weight. It is his steady presence that gives Kise the strength to line up with the rest of his team. To look Aomine in the eyes with determination, and thank him for the game. The best game he has ever experienced.

Aomine does not celebrate with the rest of his team. He does not smile. He does not say a word. Just walks back to the locker room, collects his things and leaves. The image of Kise’s golden eyes burns into his brain. 

It is not until Aomine is lying alone in his room, accompanied by only the darkness, that he allows himself to smile. 

“I’ve been waiting for you, Ryouta.”


	5. Stormy Skies

After dropping by the hospital to check on Kise’s ankle, Kasamatsu insists on escorting Kise home. They did not make it to his house until midnight, and by that time, all the trains had stopped running. 

“Don’t worry, senpai, my family is out of town. Just stay over.”

“Sorry for the intrusion,” Kasamatsu mumbles as he walks into his junior’s house. This was not how he imagined his night turning out, and he is suddenly extremely aware that he and Kise are alone, in Kise’s house, past midnight. 

“Are you hungry? There’s still leftovers from two nights ago.” When Kasamatsu does not answer, Kise turns around to see him still standing in the doorway. “Senpai?”

Kasamatsu is shaken out of his thoughts. “Ah, yes please. I can prepare us plates if you show me where the food is.”

“It’s okay, I got it.”

Kasamatsu strides up to Kise and pokes his right cheek. “Go sit down, idiot. Stop straining yourself. Doc said you need to stay off that ankle for a little while. That’s why he gave you those.” He points to Kise’s crunches. 

Kise rolls his eyes. “I’m fine, but I’ll take the pampering. The food is in the glass container on the second shelf of the refrigerator. You can just use the microwave.”

They eat in silence and then head upstairs to Kise’s room. After Kasamatsu is sure that Kise makes it up safely, he immediately turns around to head back downstairs. “I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, senpai.” Kise reaches out and grabs the collar of his shirt before he can escape. “I can sleep in my sister’s room, and you can have my bed.”  
“But –”

“No buts. This is non-negotiable.”

Kasamatsu sighs and gives in, too tired to argue. 

“If you’d like, you can borrow some clothes to sleep in,” Kise says as he leans his crutches against his desk and slips his shirt over his head. 

Kasamatsu is not prepared for a half naked Kise. It is not like he has not seen Kise’s bare chest before, but somehow, this time is different. In the confinement of Kise’s dimly lit room, in his empty house, standing so close. He closes his eyes and tries to calm his racing heart. 

_ “What do you want with the kid?” _ The conversation in the locker room with Moriyama and the rest of the seniors pops up into his head. Kasamatsu scowls, annoyed that he is remembering that now.

This does not go unnoticed by Kise, and their situation finally catches up with his tired brain.  _ Shit _ . He tries to quickly limp over to his closest to grab a shirt – any shirt, as long as he is no longer standing half naked in his bedroom, in his empty house, past midnight, with his attractive captain standing a few feet away – but before he can make it, he stumbles over his sheets from his unmade bed. 

Kasamatsu grabs Kise’s arm before he fully tips over. “Oi, idiot, slow down.”

Kise chuckles nervously. “Thanks, senpai. I guess my room is a little unorganized.” He looks around and winces, just a little, at his messy room, when he feels an arm wrap around his waist. “Kasamatsu-senpai?” Kise looks at his senior in surprise.

“Fine, do you not want me to help you up?” Kasamatsu loosens his grip, but Kise is quick to cling to him.

“Senpai,” he whines. “You were planning on dropping me.”

“Well you are not the lightest with your long ass limbs. I am shorter than you, you know.” Before Kise can protest, Kasamatsu lifts him just enough to plop him on his bed. “There, you’re safe.”

Kise laughs. “My knight and shining armor.” With only the light of the moon streaming through his window, it is hard to tell, but Kise thinks he sees a hint of a blush on his senpai’s face.

“You know, I think I will sleep on the couch.” Kasamatsu turns to leave, but Kise catches him by the wrist. Kasamatsu looks down at the beautiful boy desperately holding onto him. Kise bites his bottom lip, which Kasamatsu finds sexy. He sighs and runs his free hand through his hair. 

_ “What do you want with the kid?”  _

Kasamatsu is very aware of his desires. He was just lying to himself when he said he that he didn’t know, but here, in this moment, he is very confident in what he wants. Before he can talk himself out of it, Kasamatsu places a knee on the bed and leans over Kise.

He stares into the golden suns that are Kise’s eyes and asks, “What do you want?”

And the next moment Kise’s lips are on his. 

Kasamatsu gives him an opening and he takes it. The kiss is desperate and sloppy at first, but as Kasamatsu crawls between Kise’s legs and deepens the kiss, they find their rhythm. It is everything Kise dreamt of and more. Their tongues dance around each other. Kasamatsu tastes like the noodles they had earlier and Kise finds it delicious and amazing. He feels Kasamatsu start to pull away, and he instinctively wraps his legs around the others waist. A light laugh escapes Kasamatsu’s lips, interrupting their make out session. Kise pouts in slight annoyance.

“Just coming up for air.” Kasamatsu smiles down at his junior. He affectionately swipes Kise’s bangs out of his eyes and plants a sweet kiss on his right eyelid. “Your eyes are swollen. Are you sure you’re up for this?”

Kise lifts his hips, grinds against Kasamatsu and moans. Kasamatsu smirks, and Kise is caught off guard. He rests his forehead against Kise’s and captures his attention with the swirling storms in his eyes. 

“Have you done this before?” he says softly.

Kise fully wraps his arms around Kasamatsu and whispers in his ear. “Stop hesitating.” He feels Kasamatsu tense up, and a sly grin slithers onto his face. He loosens his grip to get a good look at his senpai when he is stopped in his tracks.

Kasamatsu’s eyes are hooded over with lust. Kise devours the sight as he watches his captain slowly, teasingly lift his shirt over his head. He cannot help himself as he runs his hands over Kasamatsu’s toned abdomen. 

The older boy moves back and slips his fingers under the band of Kise’s pants. He slowly slides them down, and Kise lifts his hips to help. Kasamatsu hovers over Kise for a moment to take in the sight below him. A devilish grin manifests on his usual serious features, and Kise is breathless. 

“Fuck, senpai, you’re so sexy right now.”

Kasamatsu glides a hand up Kise’s body until he reaches his face and tilts his chin back. “Ryouta, you’re beautiful.”

Before Kise could comprehend what he said, his lips are back on his. Their hands explore each other’s bodies, their limbs entangling. Kise is a mess. His skin burns with every kiss, his back arching in pleasure. The last thing he remembers are those stormy blue grey eyes before he is taken by sleep. 

Kise wakes to the birds singing and the sun streaming through his bedroom window. He blinks a few times to adjust to the sudden light. He is about to stretch his arms when he recognizes the warmth of the body next to him. He turns and lays on his side. Kasamatsu is still sleeping soundly. 

_ It looks like he could sleep all day. I guess we were both exhausted last night. We did just finish playing against Aominecchi. _

Kise winces at the memory. How Aomine looked down at him without saying a word. How Kise limped over to line up and face his idol. How he could see a tinge of disappointment in Aomine’s eyes. He had let his old teammate down. However, Kise shivered in excitement. For just a moment, he was able to grasp him, grasp Aomine’s power, and he felt the rush of finally being able to stand next to the bluenette. 

After years of chasing after him, Kise had almost caught him. And it was exhilarating to think that maybe next time he just might pass him. 

_ I’m here, Aominecchi. _


	6. Changing Winds

After an hour of scrolling through social media, Kise decides to get up and prepare breakfast. He looks back over at Kasamatsu and watches his chest rise and fall with his gentle breathing. A smile stretches across Kise’s face and he lightly runs his fingers through his senpai’s hair. 

_ Damn, he’s beautiful when he’s sleeping. People would notice his attractiveness if he wasn’t constantly scowling.  _ Kise couldn’t help himself as he takes his two index fingers and stretches Kasamatsu’s lips into a smile.  _ Why so serious? _ Kise giggles. 

Kasamatsu catches his hands and opens his eyes, his permanent scowl returning. He releases Kise and lethargically sits up. “Shit, what time is it?”

“Welcome back to the living world senpai. It’s 11:00 am. I was about to prepare some food, do you have any preferences?”

Kasamatsu stands up and stretches his limbs. Kise can’t help staring at his naked body. “Damn, I haven’t slept like that in a while.” He cracks his neck. “Hey Golden Boy, where’s the bathroom?”

“I-it-it’s at the end of the hall,” Kise stutterers.

Kasamatsu looks over his shoulder and smiles. He looks around the room and finds his sweatpants. He locks eyes with Kise as he slides them back on. “Mind if I take a shower?”

Kise instantly stands up and walks to his closet. He can feel his senior’s eyes on him and he makes sure to bend over slowly to give Kasamatsu the best view. He finds a clean towel and throws it at the other boy. He leans against the frame of his closet, crosses his arms and tilts his head to the side. “I’ll allow you to use my special shampoo. That’s not something I let just anyone do.”

Kasamatsu rolls his eyes as he swings the towel over one shoulder. “I’m so honored. I get to use the princess’s soap. And to answer your earlier question, I don’t have any food preferences. As long as it’s edible. You look like you’d catch the house on fire trying to make toast.” 

“Mo, senpai, I can make toast,” Kise objects.

Kasamatsu laughs and walks over to ruffle Kise’s hair. Kise grabs his hand and entwines their fingers. He leans down to whisper in his ear. “You know, I could always join you in the shower.”

Kasamatsu wraps his free arm around Kise and gives his bare ass a squeeze. “Go make food, Ryouta,” he chuckles. Then he turns around to leave.

As soon as he is out of sight, Kise sinks to the floor.  _ Holy shit, I am so not use to senpai’s sexy bedroom side. I always thought he’d be the blushing, blubbering type.  _ Kise sighs as he gets dressed and heads downstairs to make something he won’t burn. 

Not very confident in his cooking skills, Kise opted to play it safe and fall back on his usual, coffee and eggo waffles. And just so he didn’t come off as completely incompetent, he found some non-expired yogurt to go along with fruit and granola. With his hands on his hips, Kise looks over the array of food and nods, satisfied with what he scrounged up.

“So you really can’t make toast,” Kasamatsu laughs as he walks into the kitchen wearing one of Kise’s t-shirts, his hair still damp. 

“You know, you don’t have to eat here, senpai,” Kise pouts and crosses his arms against his chest. 

His shoulders still bounce with a silent laugh as he passes Kise and starts plating up. “Thank you for the food.”

They sit at the counter, enjoying the food and each other’s company. “Hey senpai, I’m really liking this domestic side of you. Less violent.”

Kasamatsu takes a sip of his coffee. “Just enjoy the moment, Kise. I’m too tired to do anything more.”

Kise frowns, “You can keep calling me Ryouta if you’d like.”

“Yeah, about that,” Kasamatsu stops eating. “We should talk about what we want from this.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you want to go out?”

“That’s an option,” Kise says as he takes a bite of his waffle.

“Do you want something casual?”

“Yeah, I guess I didn’t really think this through.” Kise looks out the window above the kitchen sink. “I like you, I do.”

“But . . .”

“But . . .”

Kasamatsu leans back in the high top chair. “I’d like to go out, but only if you are serious. If not, no hard feelings. Either way, I think last night was good for both of us.”

Kise blinks in awe. “You’re so . . .”

“Mature? Well yeah. I’ve had a few flings in the past, and have been in one serious relationship. Not the best split, but could have been messier.”

“Senpai, just to let you know, I’m pretty sure that I’m bisexual. I’m comfortable letting my close friends know, and I understand if you aren’t completely comfortable telling me your sexuality. But if you are . . .”

“I’ve been with one other guy, but it was just a one night stand. The rest of my relationships have been with girls.”

“Contrary to popular belief, I’ve only been with one other guy. I’ve gone on dates with girls, mostly to stay out of magazine headlines. I believe I could swing either way, but I’ve only had sex with that guy.”

There is a pause before Kasamatsu says what’s on his mind. “Is that guy the reason you’re hesitating now?”

Kise leans his head on Kasamatsu’s shoulder. “We weren’t even together, but, for some reason, I could never shake him.”

“Some people are like that.”

“Yeah . . . but I’d like to try with you.” Kise lifts his head to look into those beautiful eyes, now clear and pure. “Yukio, I’ve never been good with commitment, and I’m not good at communicating unless forced to, but if you’ll have me . . .”  _ Come on Ryouta, say it. I will be yours. Just say it. _ “ . . . I want to try.”


	7. Warm Breeze

Everyone saw it coming. The shift is subtle, since Kise and Kasamatsu might as well have been going out for the past few months with the amount of time they spent together. But nothing goes unnoticed by their teammates. They point out any hickeys, because it is impossible for Kasamatsu to hide them in the locker room. ( _ “Senpai, no marks. I have a shoot.”) _ They poke fun at the couple’s “not dates” dates. They thank Kise for taming their usual grumpy cat captain. 

A month goes by, and Rakuzan High wins the Inter High title. “I told you, didn’t I senpai? Akashicchi is unstoppable. I knew he’d win.”

“But I heard that the Generation of Miracles didn’t participate in the championships,” Moriyama comments.

“Wahhh?” Kise flails. “Did you know that Kasamatsu-senpai?”

Kasamatsu pinches Kise’s cheeks. “Stop flailing your long ass limbs, I’m trying to eat.”

Kise whines and turns to cling onto Moriyama who sits on his other side. “Moriyama, Yukio is being cruel to me again.”

“Oi, moron,” Kasamatsu wraps an arm around Kise’s waist and pulls him against his side, “stop bothering other people. And address me as senpai in public.”

Kobori laughs. “I’m happy for you two.”

“Hey Kise,” Moriyama wags his eyebrows, “does that mean you’ll finally introduce me to girls?”

“Just ‘cause Kise’s taken, doesn’t mean ya have a chance,” Hayakawa laughs whole-heartedly. 

Kasamatsu face palms. “I don’t understand how this team even functions,” he mumbles to himself. 

“Because we have an amazing captain.”

Kasamatsu looks up at Kise and can’t control the tug of his lips.

“What’s happening? Kasamatsu is smiling,” Moriyama points in horror. “Kise, shield your eyes.”

“Kise get away from him. He must have been replaced by a Kasamatsu look alike,” Hayakawa yells.

Kasamatsu clicks his tongue. Kise laughs and kisses his cheek.

“Kurokocchi’s first game is against Aominecchi?”

“Yeah, and I know you want to see it, so come on, hurry up.”

Kaijo qualified for the Winter Cup tournament, along with Seirin and Too. Kuroko and Aomine would have their rematch, and Kise would have to watch from the sidelines. “Mo, but I wanted to play both of them,” Kise sulks.

“First focus on making it to the quarter-finals. If you wanted to play your old teammates so bad, you should have gone to a school in the same region.”

“But senpai, we’re a strong school. You guys always make it to the quarter-finals.”

“Just listen to me, and stop arguing. We’re going to be late.”

“Whatever,” Kise says in annoyance as he shrugs on his coat. 

Kasamatsu opens the front door to Kise’s house and steps out. “You’re such a child,” he mumbles.

“Hey senpai, where’s your scarf?”

“I didn’t wear one.”

“Here.” Kise wraps his favorite blue scarf around Kasamatsu. 

“Oi, I don’t need a scarf.”

“Yukio, just wear it.”

“Isn’t this one of your favorites?”

“It’s just a scarf. Besides, it brings out your eyes.” Kise smiles.

“That one doesn’t suit you,” Kasamatsu points at the plain black scarf around Kise’s neck.

“Stop arguing. We’re going to be late.”

“I only like your copying skills when we’re on the court,” Kasamatsu grunts.

“You sure about that?” Kise walks up behind and wraps his arms around his boyfriend. He rests his chin on Kasamatsu’s shoulder. “You’ve taught me some pretty erotic stuff in bed, senpai captain sir,” Kise says in a seductive voice.

Kasamatsu pushes Kise’s face away and sighs. “Come on idiot, let’s go.” He grabs Kise’s hand and leads him down the street. 

They make it just in time to see the first team score. Kise is both excited and sad, because, for the first time, he isn’t sure if Aomine can win. He remembers his conversation he had with Kuroko during his match against Too.

_ “I believe it could go either way. But, it seems to me that you’re the one who is uncertain, Kise-kun.” _

“Somehow, I have a feeling that they’ll win,” Kise says as he watches Kagami and Kuroko fist bump. Kasamatsu studies Kise’s expression, and he doesn’t like the shadow that casts over his usual shining features. 

“It looks like you’ll get your rematch with Kuroko, and we’ll get a chance to crush Seirin.”

Kise doesn’t answer. His eyes widen when he sees Kuroko accept Kagami’s hug. His gaze finds Aomine with a towel resting on his head while he takes a swig of water. The bluenette’s childhood friend, Satsuki, stares at him from the bench.  _ What a weird atmosphere _ .

“Kise?”

“Hmm?”

“Did you hear me?”

Kise looks down at Kasamatsu and blinks.

“I asked if you wanted to talk to any of your old teammates.”

Kise turns his attention back to the court. “I wonder . . .”

Kasamatsu grabs Kise’s shirt and pulls him down into a chaste kiss. Kise is surprised by the suddenness, and he frowns when Kasamatsu turns back to the court as if nothing happened.

“What was that for?”

Kise follows his senpai’s gaze and lands on Aomine. They leave in silence.


	8. Settling Turbulence

Their game against Fukuda Sogo Academy is today, and something isn’t sitting right with Kise. He watched the tapes they had on the school and noticed a familiar face.

_ “What’s wrong Kise?” Kasamatsu asked. _

_ “It’s Shogo.” _

He can’t focus on warm up and his ankle is bothering him. “Hey Kasamatsu-senpai, mind if I step out for a moment?”

Kasamatsu studies him, and his eyes narrow when they land on his right ankle. “Stay warm.”

Kise nods and walks off the court. He steps out to get some air when he hears voices around the corner.  _ Kagamicchi and Murasakibaracchi’s teammate and some blonde lady? _ And then his eyes land on him.  _ Shit, it looks like they were fighting _ . He takes the basketball he’s holding and hurls it at Haizaki.

“Oi, oi, oi Ryouta, you shouldn’t just throw basketballs at people.”

“Kise, you know this guy?” Kagami asks.

Kise walks over to Kagami. “Yeah, he was a starter for Teiko before I joined, Haizaki Shogo.” He turns his attention to Haizaki. “Why don’t we settle this on the court, Shogo-kun.”

Haizaki stuffs his hands in his pockets. “Always trying to play the good guy, Ryouta.” He walks up to Kise so they are face to face, only a few inches apart. “Golden Boy of the Generation of Miracles, makes me sick.”

“Get away from him.” Kagami tries to intervene. 

“It’s okay, Kagamicchi, I’ve got it,” Kise says without looking away from Haizaki. “It’s just like you to get worked up over trivial things such as titles, Shogo-kun,” Kise smirks.

“I just don’t like that you took my place without ever beating me once, just doesn’t sit right with me, ya know. If you don’t care about titles, you should just give it to me.”

“Sorry, Shogo-kun, as trivial as they may be, the Generation of Miracles are too important to just hand out spots to anyone. Besides,” Kise steps back and puts his hands on his hips, “you aren’t pretty enough to be called the Golden Boy.”

Haizaki roughly grabs Kise by his uniform. Kagami starts to rush forward, but Kise puts his hand up to stop him. “I said I got it.”

“I’ve always hated this side of you, Ryouta. Fucking arrogant pretty boy.”

Kise just smiles. “I’ll see you on the court, Shogo.”

Haizaki releases Kise and walks away without a word.

“Kise?”

“You guys okay?” Kise looks over Murasakibara’s teammate. “It looks like he roughed you up a bit. Sorry about that. He can be a violent guy. Well, gotta go.”

“Hey Kise,” Kagami calls after. “Don’t you dare lose.”

Kise smirks, “Of course not.”

By the time he makes it back inside, the teams are getting ready to line up. “Oi, Kise, where have you been?” Kasamatsu asks in irritation.

“Just saying hi to an old friend.”

A week later, and the Winter Cup had come to an end. Seirin won the tournament, and the Generation of Miracles were thoroughly beaten. 

“Come on Kise, get up.” Kasamatsu throws the blankets off his boyfriend in hopes of getting him out of bed. Kise had spent the night, and they had plans to go out today.

“Senpai, let me wallow in my despair for a bit longer,” Kise cries.

“It’s almost noon, idiot. I thought you wanted to meet up with friends and get food.”

“I change my mind.”

Kasamatsu growls in annoyance. He grabs Kise’s arms and hauls him up. “You can’t change your mind. Kagami and Kuroko are already on their way to the restaurant.”

“Nooo, I can’t face them.”

“Then why the hell did you make plans with them?”

Out of defeat, Kise starts to get dressed. “Kuroko encouraged me when I thought I was going to lose to that bastard Haizaki. I thought it’d be nice to hang out like we used to, you know, now that the season is over.”

Kasamatsu laughs. “Is the spoiled brat actually trying to be considerate?”

Kise glares at Kasamatsu. “I’m not that spoiled,” Kise pouts.

“Oh please, youngest child, gets whatever he wants and two older sisters fawning over him. You’re known as the Golden Boy both in the teen fashion industry and high school sports. You are most definitely spoiled.”

“By the way, where are you parents? I wanted to say thank you for dinner and letting me stay over.”

“Idiot, they have lives of their own. Mom is out with her girlfriends and dad had to go into the office for a few hours.”

“Well make sure you tell them thank you for me.” Kise stares at himself in the floor length mirror.

Kasamatsu sighs, “You look fine. Come on, let’s go. We’re already running late.”

On the way out, Kise makes sure to hide his hair under a beanie and wear large sunglasses that take up most of his face. With his success during the basketball season, his popularity skyrocketed. He notices Kasamatsu wrap his blue scarf around his neck and smiles. 

“Hey Yukio,” Kise plays with the scarf, “this color really does look good on you.”

Kasamatsu’s cheeks turn a light pink at the compliment. “Yeah well . . . thanks. Now come on already,” he says as he pushes Kise out the door. 

They are ten minutes late, and Kuroko and Kagami have already ordered. Kise inhales the delicious smell of food. “I think the last time I ate at a Maji Burger was with Kurokocchi and Aominecchi in middle school.”

Kasamatsu looks at Kise, admiring his soft smile.

“Ki-chan!” Momoi Satsuki tackles Kise in a hug.

“Ki-chan?” Kasamatsu stares at the beautiful, pink haired teen clinging to his boyfriend.

“Momoicchi? What are you doing here?” Kise asks excitedly.

“I ran into Tetsu-kun and Kagami-kun and they invited me.”

“If you’re here . . . where’s Aominecchi?” Kise looks around, spotting Kagami and Kuroko sitting at a booth near a window. He half expects to see Aomine sitting next to Kuroko, trying to steal his fries. 

Momoi pouts. “He said he had things to do and left. Jeez, he probably just went off to sleep more. He’s so lazy.”

Kise laughs. “Well, it is Aominecchi. Oh, Momoicchi, I want to officially introduce you to my captain, Kasamatsu-senpai.”

“Oh, aren’t you handsome,” Momoi says as she stands on her tiptoes and leans into Kasamatsu to get a better look. “You’re a wonderful captain.”

Kasamatsu rubs the back of his neck, embarrassed by her flattery.

“Ki-chan,” Momoi takes Kise’s hands, “go order and then come sit down. I’m dying to catch up!”

Ten minutes later and everyone is sitting at the booth, eating their food.

“He did what?” Kise half yells.

“Kise-kun, not so loud please,” Kuroko says calmly.

“That idiot,” Kagami says while scarfing down his burgers.

“Kagami-kun, please swallow before talking.”

“He can be so reckless when it comes to you, Ki-chan, but I didn’t think he’d actually punch the guy.” Momoi sighs and hugs Kuroko’s arm. 

“Momoi-kun, please let go of me.”

“Aominecchi is like that when it comes to any of his former teammates,” Kise says as he glances over at Kasamatsu, but the older teen’s face is unreadable.

“Yeah, but he’s been on edge ever since he played you.” Momoi reaches over the table and steals one of Kise’s fries.

Kagami pauses his eating marathon. “One of our seniors asked us how we beat you in a practice game. He couldn’t believe that we could ever face a team like Kaijo and win.”

“Mo, but Kagamicchi, you did beat us.” Kise’s voice rises as he whines.

“Kise-kun, please keep it down.”

Kagami grabs Kuroko’s vanilla milkshake and takes a large gulp. “Fuck, brain freeze.” He squeezes his eyes shut.

“I told you to slow down.” Kuroko takes his shake back.

Kagami grits his teeth. “I don’t fully count that win. You were on the bench for the majority of the game. Damn Haizaki.”

“Did he always play dirty? Even during his time at Teiko?” Kasamatsu inquires.

“He was always trying to one-up Ki-chan. He went after all of Ki-chan’s girls.”

“There weren’t that many.” Kise adds

“Akashi-kun forced Haizaki-kun to quit, knowing that Ki-chan would surpass him.”

“That’s kind of shitty,” Kagami says as he leans back. He casually rests his arm on the back of the booth behind Kuroko.

“Kagami-kun, language,” Kuroko scolds.

“Yeah, but he was right. Haizaki-kun is a proud guy. Who knows what he would have done if Ki-chan publicly took his starting spot.”

“Still, to force someone to quit basketball.”

“You’re such a basketball junkie, Kagamicchi,” Kise laughs. 

“Jeez, both you and Dai-chan are one of a kind.” Momoi sinks down into the booth and pouts.

“You’re doing a good job keeping him in line, Momoicchi,” Kise says brightly.

“Yeah, and I take my eyes off him for one moment and he goes around punching people. I should have watched him closer. Ki-chan, he was really upset to hear that you’d play Haizaki-kun.”

“For good reasons. Kise was on cruches for a week after playing Aomine,” Kasamatsu cuts in.

“Senpai, it wasn’t that bad.”

“You really should have sat out longer, but you kept pushing yourself.”

“Really, I’m fine,” Kise pouts.

“Shut up Kise. You’re not fine. Haizaki knew that you were injured and smashed your bad foot. And then you had to turn around and play these beasts.” Kasamatsu waves his hand in the general direction of Kuroko and Kagami.

“By the way, Kise-kun, I wanted to ask how you’ve been doing.” Kuroko takes another sip of his milkshake, not missing the hand Kise briefly places on Kasamatsu’s arm.

Kise forces a smile. “Really, everyone. I swear, I am fine. Senpai just worries too much.”

Kasamatsu frowns. “It’s just because you don’t care for yourself. You know, he eats frozen waffles for breakfast every morning.”

Kise’s eyes widen as he looks at Kasamatsu. “Senpai, don’t say that in front of Kagamicchi!” Kise waves his hands in front of Kagami’s face. “Really, Kagamicchi, it isn’t every day.”

“Eh, why Kagami-kun?” Momoi questions.

“He’s surprisingly a good cook,” Kuroko says with a blank face.

Kagami plops his hand on Kuroko’s shoulder and squeezes. “What do you mean, surprisingly?”

A warmth spreads over Kise as he looks around the table at the four smiling faces.  _ This was a good idea after all.  _

Kise loses a bit of his smile. “Hey Kurokocchi, there’s something I need to tell you.” The others direct their attention to him, reading his mood and losing their smiles. He is a little disappointed in ruining the atmosphere.

“You can tell me anything, Kise-kun.” Kuroko’s eyes soften as if he was prepared for this.

“I’m sorry for being bitter towards you. And for not talking to you as much Momoicchi,” Kise quickly adds as he looks at Momoi. “To be honest, I felt that I lost to you, and forced myself to accept how things were. But, it wasn’t healthy for me, or for any of you, and I tried to cut all ties. Looking back, I finally understand what you went through, and I’m sorry for being such a brat and not even trying to reach out to you. Because I do consider you to be one of my best friends. And it may be immature of me to ask for your forgiveness in light of my happiness, but I couldn’t see past anything but my own misery.”

“So you are happy?”

“What?”

“Are you happy Kise-kun?”

Kise glances at Kasamatsu for moment, and a smile slides onto his face. “Yes, I believe I am.”

“Then everything is fine.”

“But I was such an asshole to you.”

“It’s all in the past.”

“But –”

Kasamatsu clicks his tongue. “Oi Kise, just accept your friend’s answer. Stop being childish.”

“I . . . thank you Kurokocchi.”

“I’m not quite sure we are at best friends status though,” Kuroko adds in a flat tone.

“Eh? Kurokocchi’s so mean!” Kise whines.

Kuroko smiles.

They chat for a little while longer. They agree that they must hang out more and play basketball. They exchange numbers and Momoi takes it upon herself to start a group chat. Kuroko and Kagami leave first. Momoi squeezes Kise in another hug.

“Ki-chan, promise to take care of yourself.”

Kise laughs. “I promise Momoicchi.”

“Call me if you ever need anything.”

“Okay, I will.”

“I mean it, Ki-chan. Anything.”

“I mean it too. I treasure our friendship, Momoicchi.”

Momoi tears up and gives Kise one more hug before bidding them farewell. 

Kise and Kasamatsu ride the train together until Kasamatsu’s stop. He gives Kise a peck on the lips before getting off. For the remainder of the ride, Kise is left to his own thoughts. He felt lighter, happier that he was finally able to face Kuroko. He hopes that there would be no more awkwardness between them. 

He gets off at his stop and takes the long route home, enjoying the cool air and twilight sky. As he passes by an outside basketball court, he sees a familiar figure shooting hoops by himself. Kise moves closer, trying to distinguish the man when he turns around. Gold eyes meet dark blue, and neither one moves.


	9. Ripples

“Yo.” Aomine waves lazily.

Kise stops in his tracks, surprised to see the bluenette playing basketball near his house.

“I wasn’t sure when you’d be back.” Aomine breaks the silence.

His mind goes blank, not sure how to answer that. What was Aomine doing here? What does he mean? Was he waiting for Kise?

Aomine walks to the gate separating them. “How’s your ankle?”

“What are you doing here?” Kise finally blurts out.

“You up for a game?” Aomine spins the basketball on his index finger.

“I saw Momoicchi, she said you were busy today.”

Aomine looks off to the side and starts dribbling the ball. “Tetsu and Bakagami were there, right? And your team captain?”

Kise frowns. “Well yeah, but, you know, you’re always welcome, Aominecchi.”

“No, not with that line up.”

Kise is starting to get annoyed. He walks along the gate until he reaches the entrance to the court. He marches up to Aomine and looks up the two inches he has on him. “What is that supposed to mean? If you’re just trying to avoid Kurokocchi –”

“Why do you always gotta make things about Tetsu?” 

“Well aren’t they?”

“No.”

“Then why didn’t you join us for lunch?”

“Had other stuff to do.”

“Like what?”

“Why does it matter?”

“Because it does?”

“It’s none of your business?”

Kise turns around and starts to leave.

“Kise, come on. Just stay. Play a game with me.”

Kise whips around, narrowing his eyes. “Basketball can’t solve everything, Aominecchi. You came here for a reason, just spit it out.”

Aomine sighs and slumps to the ground.

“Either tell me why you’re here, or tell me why you didn’t want to join us earlier today.”

“Can you at least tell me if you’re ankle is okay?”

Kise watches Aomine study his bad foot, and he is shocked that Aomine was observant enough to even know which ankle was injured. His features soften and his lips fall into a familiar pout as he walks over and sits down next to the other teen. “Heard you punched Shogo.”

Aomine smirks. “Yeah, that bastard was standing outside the stadium waiting for you to come out.”

Kise’s eyes widen slightly. “Huh, didn’t know that.”

Aomine’s smirk grows.

“But, Aominecchi, you shouldn’t have done that. You could have been in big trouble for punching another athlete.”

“Neither one of us were in the tournament anymore. Doesn’t really matter.”

“Yes, it does.” Kise reaches over and picks up Aomine’s hands. “You’re a basketball player, you need to take care of your hands.” Kise carefully looks over Aomine’s knuckles.

Aomine observes Kise, admiring the way his long bangs fall over his eyes. “It was weeks ago, they’re fine. Thanks for your concern, model-kun.”

Kise drops Aomine’s hands roughly. “Aominecchi, always trying to make light of things and make fun of me,” Kise whines.

Aomine lets out a light laugh, and Kise marvels at what a difference a smile makes on the bluenette’s face. Aomine was always handsome, albeit, rough around the edges, but that was part of his charm. Now Kise can’t help but admire the small wrinkles that appear at the corners of his midnight eyes. 

They’re oceans at night, dark and alluring. Kise is captured by Aomine’s stare. He feels the tug of his undercurrent. It takes all his strength not to be swept away by those waves.  _ They’re not as warm as Senpai’s sky blue eyes, nor as striking. I prefer Senpai’s bright blue gaze, _ Kise argues with himself.

“Kise?”

_ Damn, Aomineicchi’s gruff voice saying my name like that. I’m not sure he ever said my name with that much emotion before. _

“Kise, I know you’re mind is probably going a mile a minute. What are you thinking?”

Kise leans back on his hands and looks up at the darkening sky. He watches as the last of the lighter blue tones fade away, slowly replaced by deeper hues.

“I wasn’t avoiding Tetsu.” Aomine lays on his back, reaching his hands behind his head to act as a cushion. “After our game during the Winter Cup, we came to terms with our situation. Or,” he sighs and closes his eyes, “it was more like a slap in the face, and I had to accept the fault for destroying our relationship.” Aomine opens his eyes and looks up at Kise. “I wasn’t avoiding Tetsu, he moved on. I was avoiding you, and that captain of yours.” 

Kise gazes down at Aomine. “I think it’s about time we both stop trying to avoid people from our past, don’t you think, Aominecchi?” Kise looks back up at the sky. “I was finally able to say sorry to Kurokocchi today.”

“Yeah, Tetsu. That guy really knows how to stir things up.”

Kise laughs. “Kick us in the ass and scold us for being idiots.”

Aomine sits up with new energy. “But where the hell did he even find Bakagami?”

“Mo, Aominecchi, you should stop calling Kagamicchi that.”

“Why does Kagami get your stupid little nickname?”

“Eh? Well I respect him. He beat me twice.”

“I don’t know why you let him beat you the first time, but the second time doesn’t count.”

“Ha, Kagamicchi said the same thing. You guys really are similar.”

Aomine clicks his tongue. “Don’t compare me to eyebrows.”

“Aominecchi, you shouldn’t call him that either.” Kise tries to stifle a laugh. 

Aomine’s features fall. “It seems like everyone moved on.”

“Hmmm? I think we all just grew up a little. Realized that the world doesn’t revolve around the Generation of Miracles. That it’s just a silly title from middle school.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Aomine mumbles, as he lays back down and closes his eyes.

“What was that?” Kise tries to grab Aomine’s attention.

“It’s nothing.”

Kise gets up and finds the basketball that rolled off to the corner of the court, forgotten. “Hey Aominecchi, what about that game?”

A few hours later and Aomine is massaging Kise’s ankle while Kise chugs down some of Aomine’s water. 

“Sorry, I should have held back,” Aomine says as he concentrates on Kise’s ankle.

“Aominecchi’s apologizing? What is happening?”

Aomine scowls. “I mean it Kise, you overworked yourself.”

“It’s fine. It just aches sometimes. You and senpai need to stop worrying.”

Aomine’s grip tightens, and Kise winces. “Fuck, sorry.” Aomine releases Kise’s ankle. 

“It’s okay,” Kise says through clenched teeth as the pain passes. “By the way, what time is it?”

Aomine reaches over Kise to grab the first phone he sees. He clicks the home button and the screen lights up with a picture of Kise and Kasamatsu eating ice cream. Kise is smiling brightly while Kasamatsu scowls at the camera. The phone chimes with a new message from the young man and Aomine frowns. “Got a message from your captain.” He hands the phone over to Kise.

“Kasamatsu-senpai?” Kise unlocks his phone. He smiles sweetly while he reads the text. 

“What does he want?” Aomine tries to ask nonchalantly. 

“Wants to know if I want to see this new movie coming out. We were talking about it the other day. It’s sweet that he remembered.” Kise snaps his head up, almost colliding with Aomine who is hunched over Kise, trying to read over his shoulder. “Aominecchi, it’s almost ten, you’re going to miss your train.” Kise slips his legs off of Aomine’s lap and stands up.

“Damnit!” Aomine quickly collects his things. “See ya later. Good game,” Aomine calls over his shoulder as he sprints out of the court and towards the station. 

Kise smiles as he picks up his discarded jacket and starts walking down the street. He hears footsteps behind him and turns around to see Aomine running back. “Aominecchi?”

Aomine halts in front of him out of breath. “Number,” he says through deep breaths.

“What?”

“Give me your number.” Aomine hands Kise his phone.

“Momoicchi has it if you want to get it from her.” Kise tilts his head down towards the phone.

“I know that, dammit. I’m asking you.”

Kise looks up at Aomine, puzzled as to why he is insisting on this, but he types his number into the phone anyway.

“I’ll call you.” Aomine waves as he sprints back in the other direction.

That night, Kise can’t seem to fall asleep, Aomine’s ocean blue eyes lingering in his mind.


	10. Roaring Currents

A week later, during class, Kise gets a text from Kuroko.  _ Out of all the people, I wonder why Kurokocchi is texting me. Especially during class _ . Kise glances at the message. Plain and simple. The corners of Kise’s mouth tug up.  _ Straight to the point. _

_ ‘Kise-kun, I’m happy you and Aomine-kun made up.’ _

On his way to lunch, Kise gets a message from Kagami.

_ ‘Wanna play ball this Sunday with me and Kuroko?’ _

Kise sends a thumbs up and smiley emoji.

Somewhere along the way, Kise traded numbers with Takao. They found that they actually have a lot in common, and were really good at annoying Kasamatsu and Midorima. They tended to get riled up whenever they were together. 

He’s in the middle of lunch with Kasamatsu when his phone pings. He opens Takao’s message to see a video.

_‘Shin-chan loves me!’_ _Takao chants in the video._

_ ‘Takao, turn off the damn camera!’ Midorima chases after him. _

The video ends with the camera tumbling to the ground and Takao laughing.

Kasamatsu leans over, recognizing the teens’ voices. “What is Takao doing to torment Midorima?”

“Midorimacchi is so straight-laced. I don’t understand how they work.”

“More like, why does Midorima put up with that guy,” Kasamatsu says as he rolls his eyes and turns back to his food.

Kise is scrolling through social media while he waits for Kasamatsu at the front gate when a message from Momoi pops up.  _ Momoicchi? _

_ ‘Ki-chan, you have to look at this.’  _

She sent an attachment. Kise opens it and sees an image of him resting his legs on Aomine’s lap. Under it is a headline, ‘Golden Boy, Kise Ryouta, dating?’ He clicks on the link and it sends him to an article that reads:

_ ‘Is Kise Ryouta, the Golden Boy of the teen fashion industry and member of the Generation of Miracles possibly dating? Is Kise gay? Is this him coming out? Let us know at (and there’s a web address).’ _

Kise stares at the picture, eyes wide. It’s obviously him. The photographer got him at a perfect angle with the lamp light falling directly on his face. It was hard to deny that blonde hair. Thankfully, no one can tell who the other male is in the picture. Kise bites the bottom of his lip while he shoots Momoi a quick reply.

_ ‘Thank you, Momoicchi. I will take care of this.’ _

Kise is about to call his manager when his phone pings again.

_ ‘That’s Dai-chan, isn’t it?’ _

_ ‘Yeah’ _

Momoi doesn’t reply. She doesn’t have too.

“Oi, Kise, what’s wrong?” Kasamatsu walks up to Kise

“It’s nothing,” Kise responds as he slips his phone into his back pocket.

Kasamatsu gives him a hard stare, but lets it go. “Did you still want to see the movie?”

Kise lights up and nods his head enthusiastically. “Sure do!”

He hears the squeak of tennis shoes and the shouts of players as he turns the corner and walks into Too’s basketball gym. He doesn’t take off his coat and double checks that his beanie is securely on his head. 

Luckily, no one has recognized him yet. He stays close to the walls as he walks the perimeter of the gymnasium. It isn’t hard to spot Aomine on the court. A wave of nostalgia hits him. He is brought back two years earlier, to a time when he didn’t have basketball. When he about gave up on sports and everything was washed in a dull shade of grey.

Until a basketball went hurtling towards the apathetic teen, hitting him in the back of his head. Kise whipped around, yelling at the offender, when a midnight blue pair of eyes lit up his world. He was speechless, shocked that the boy recognized him and his modelling career, and unsettled that one pair of eyes could shift his world so drastically. 

Watching Aomine now, Kise detects a hint of the boy he once was and can’t help but smile fondly. Aomine’s captain, Imayoshi, spots Kise, and his ever prevalent sly grin stretches across his face. 

Kise pulls his beanie down lower on his head and readjusts his large sunglasses. Imayoshi calls for a break and walks over to Aomine. Kise looks down at his dress shoes.  _ Shit, I was trying to fly under the radar _ . He glances around and sees Momoi watching him. He gives her a small wave, and she smiles, understanding that he is incognito. 

Aomine walks over to Momoi and a few words are spoken between them. He lifts his head in Kise’s direction and tilts his head towards the locker room. When Kise walks in, Aomine is sitting on one of the benches, drinking some water.

“What’s up pretty boy, couldn’t resist seeing me?” Aomine smirks.

Kise’s brows furrow as he slips his sunglasses off. “So Momoicchi hasn’t shown you?”

Aomine pauses. “Shown me what?”

Kise walks over and hands Aomine his phone with the article pulled up. He gives Aomine a moment to absorb the information before continuing to talk. “Don’t worry, no one can recognize you. I’ll make sure to not reveal your identity when I come out. 

“So you’re not going to deny it?” Aomine questions.

Kise sighs and sits down. “No, this seems like a good time, and my manager doesn’t believe that it will effect my popularity too much. He was more concerned for my safety.”

“Well of course he is, idiot. You sure you’re ready?”

Kise is startled at the other’s apprehension. “Thank you for your concern, Aominecchi, but I want to do this. I’ve already talked to Kasamatsu-senpai about everything, and I explained the photo. He was . . . not happy at first, but I eventually brought him around.” Kise leans back against the lockers and pulls his beanie off. “I know he isn’t very fond of the spotlight, but he’s willing to stand by me through this whole situation. Also, I know we just recently reconnected, but I don’t think this is a good time to be seen together. I’m sorry Aominecchi.”

Aomine suddenly stands up. “The fuck you talking about, Kise?”

Kise is not expecting that reaction. “I’m so sorry for getting you involved in my public matters, Aominecchi.” He runs his fingers through his hair. “But don’t worry, I’ll make sure no one bothers you. As I said, no one can recognize you in the photo. Only me, Momoicchi, Kasamatsu-senpai and my manager know. And probably Akashicchi,” Kise adds as an afterthought. 

“I don’t give a shit about that.” Aomine stalks up to Kise and hovers over him. “What do you mean we can’t be seen together.”

Kise slowly stands up. “Aominecchi –”

“What is he to you?”

Kise blinks, bewildered, and tilts his head to the side in question. “Who?”

“That captain guy,” Aomine growls.

“You didn’t know? We’re dating.”

Aomine’s eyes widen. He takes a step back and slumps down onto the bench.

Kise knows he shouldn’t laugh in this situation, but he can’t help himself. “I’m sorry, Aominecchi, but you can be so dense sometimes.”

“Shut up, Kise. I knew. I just didn’t realize it was official,” Aomine pouts. 

_ Wow, Aominecchi can be so cute _ .

“How long?” Aomine looks up at Kise.

“Hmm,” Kise says uneasily. “Actually . . . it was after the game against you . . .”

“What? But that was months ago.”

Kise reaches up to rub the back of his neck and gives an awkward smile. “Yeah, I guess it’s been a little while.”

Aomine looks down at his hands without saying anything. 

Kise bends down to try to get a look at his face. “Aominecchi?”

“Why him?”

“Because I like him.” Kise sits back down, crossing his arms over his chest. He doesn’t like that they are lingering on this topic. Somehow, it doesn’t feel safe.

Aomine finally looks up and locks eyes with him. “But why?”

Kise frowns. “You can’t explain why you like someone, you just do.”

“But –”

“Okay fine.” Kise sits up, dropping his arms to his sides. “Why did you like Kurokocchi?”

“Why you bringing Tetsu up all of the sudden?”

“Don’t change the subject.”

“I’m not.”

“Then answer the damn question.”

“Answer mine first.”

They are silent. On the other side of the wall, basketball players continue with their practice, and sounds from the outside world gradually seep into the locker room.

Kise sighs in defeat. “Why do we always end up arguing?” 

He gets up to leave when Aomine grabs his wrist. He stands up and closes the distance. Kise steps back. Aomine steps forward. Kise tries to get away, but his back hits the lockers. Aomine cages him in with his arms and leans in until their foreheads are touching. 

“Aominecchi, please step back,” Kise says cooly.

Aomine wraps one arm around Kise’s waist and pulls him forward.

“Aominecchi,” Kise warns.

“You know you want this,” Aomine says in a low, rough voice.

“No, I don’t.” Kise tries to push away, but Aomine is stronger.

“You’re always staring at me. Even during games, I could feel your eyes on me. Whether you know it or not, you’re always seeking me out.”

“Aominecchi, please.” Kise is getting desperate.

“You want me.”

Kise is about to deny it, but Aomine’s lips are on his. Kise tries to resist, but the current is too strong, and he is running out of breath. His senses are in overdrive as he is pulled back out to sea. He forgot how good it felt to stop fighting and to just let himself sink. 

“I’ve missed you, Ryouta,” Aomine mumbles.

Kise’s eyes snap open, and he resurfaces, draining his lungs of water.  _ What am I doing? _ He breaks the kiss and pushes Aomine away. “Stop!”

At first, Aomine is surprised, but his eyes fill with anger, waves swirling and crashing against each other. “Why?” 

“Because I’m with Yukio.”

“Why?”

“Because he makes me happy.”

“Why?’

“Because I like him.”

“But do you like him like you once loved me?”

Kise slaps Aomine. “Fuck you!”

Aomine blinks, realizing his mistake. “Wait, Kise.”

Kise walks over to his discarded beanie and sunglasses and shoves them into his coat pocket, no longer caring about his disguise. He strides to the locker room door and starts to open it when Aomine comes up behind him and slams it shut.

“Ryouta.”

Kise whips around to face the bluenette. “Don’t call me that! Don’t ever call me that again!” He can’t stop them, the tears that start to fall. “You knew I loved you. You knew it.” Kise hiccups. “You were lonely because Kurokocchi left.”

“Kise.” Aomine reaches out, but Kise slaps his hand away.

“No!” He furiously wipes his tears away. “You finally got what you wanted, and then you threw him away. Just like you throw everyone away. Do you even realize how much you hurt Kurokocchi? He loved you so much.”

Aomine smiles softly. “How can you be worried about Tetsu at a time like this?”

“Shut up! You threw him away, and he moved on. Kagamicchi’s a good guy, much better than you.”

“I know,” Aomine whispers.

“And when you realized you blew your shot with Kurokocchi, you came crawling to me. He hurt your ego, and you were lonely. I’ve always been second best to you.”

“That’s not true.”

“Yes it is.”

“No it’s not.”

“Then what are you doing right now?”

“I already told you, I miss you.” Aomine’s voice rises. “I fucked up with Tetsu. When I saw him with Kagami, I realized that we would have never worked out. I let him go a long time ago. But for some damn reason, I can’t get you out of my fucking head!”

Kise is silent.

“I hate seeing you with your damn captain. He stands too close to you and is always touching you. I can’t stand it. I hated seeing you lean on him after our game.”

“He’s my boyfriend.”

“I hated seeing Haizaki hurt you. I was so pissed, I didn’t know what to do.”

“I’m not yours to protect.”

“But we work. Tetsu and I, we didn’t work, but Ryouta –”

“Don’t,” Kise warns.

“We work.”

“Aomine!”

That quiets him.

“I’m done.” Kise opens the door and is immediately met with the faces of the Too basketball team. They stumble back to let Kise pass.

Once Kise is out of sight, Imayoshi is the one to break the silence. “We didn’t want to interrupt you two, but practice is over.”

“Fuck off,” Aomine grumbles as he pushes his way through his teammates. He picks up his jacket from the bench and swings it over his shoulder.

“Aomine-kun!” Momoi chases after the boy. They are almost at the front gate by the time Momoi catches up to Aomine. “What happened between you and Ki-chan?”

Aomine clicks is tongue. “None of your damn business.”

Momoi puts her hands on her hips and frowns. “What did you do?”

“Give it up, Satsuki, I’m not telling you.”

“No, you upset Ki-chan again.”

“Why is it my fault?”

“It’s always your fault, Dai-chan. Don’t know when to hold you tongue.”

“So it doesn’t mean anything that Kise kisses me, but says we can’t hang out? Comes to apologize about a stupid picture that doesn’t mean shit to me. Tells me that he’s dating that stupid uptight captain of his.”

“Ki-chan kissed you?”

“I kissed him and he kissed back. We kissed each other,” Aomine says, exasperated.

“Dai-chan, you idiot.”

“What?”

“Do you realize how long Ki-chan’s been waiting for you? Your timing couldn’t be any worse. By the way,” she leans into Aomine to get a better look at his face, “why is your cheek all red?”

“Idiot slapped me.”

Momoi giggles.

“Oi, it’s not funny,” Aomine growls.

“Dai-chan, you deserved it.”

“Shut up, I’m going home.”

Momoi’s lips fall into a soft smile. “I’m sorry that you and Ki-chan fought, but I think it was good for you two to confront your feelings.”

Aomine grumbles.

“Go home. Get some sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“He called me Aomine, Satsuki.”

Momoi sees how defeated Aomine looks. His shoulders slump forward and his eyes droop. She pulls him into a hug. “I’m sorry Dai-chan.” For once, she doesn’t know what to say.  _ He must have been really serious about Ki-chan _ , she thinks to herself. 


	11. Moody Waves

Two days pass, and Aomine reads about, ‘Golden Boy, Kise Ryouta, comes out as bisexual.’ He watches an interview of Kise thanking all his fans for being so supportive. He isn’t surprised to see Kise’s popularity double with the addition of hundreds of fanboys who think they may have a shot with the model.

A week passes, and Aomine doesn’t show up to practice. He hardly goes to class, spending most of his time sleeping on the roof. Momoi tries to confront him, but he shoots her down everytime. 

He reads another article of Kise introducing Kasamatsu as his boyfriend. There is a picture of them holding hands in front of a clothing store Kise’s an ambassador for. Aomine scowls at the sky blue eyes shining with affection for Kise. 

After a month of Aomine’s wallowing, Momoi’s had enough. She marches up to the roof of the school and finds Aomine in his usual spot, sleeping. “Dai-chan,” she calls. “I’m taking this away.” She grabs Aomine’s phone. 

Aomine lazily sits up and rubs the sleep out of his eyes. “Go away Satsuki.”

“No, it’s been a month. You need to go back to your life.”

“Oi, give that back.” Aomine reaches for his phone, but Momoi moves it out of his reach. 

She unlocks the phone and scrolls through Aomine’s feed. “You need to stop reading these articles, Dai-chan,” she says gently. 

Aomine crosses his arms over his chest. “You can’t tell me what to do.”

“It’s not healthy. Even Wakamatsu is worried about you.”

“I didn’t ask for nobody to worry about me.”

“That’s not how friendships work.”

“I’m not friends with any of those bastards,” Aomine grumpily shoots back.

“Dai-chan, stop being so stubborn.” 

“Go tell that damn Imayoshi to go to practice.”

“He’s a senior. He’s getting ready to graduate.”

Aomine rolls his eyes and lays back down. “Whatever.”

“Dai-chan, I’m being serious.” Momoi reaches down and tries to pull Aomine up, but he is too heavy.

“You’re annoying me.”

“I’m holding on to this,” Momoi says as she walks away with Aomine’s phone.

Momoi Satsuki has known Aomine since they were kids. They grew up next door to each other and went to the same school, elementary through high school. She knows Aomine inside and out, and usually knows how he feels before he does. Yet, she’s never seen him act like this. So she comes up with a game plan.

“Kuroko-kun, please help me. Dai-chan is our friend.”

“Tetsuya, as much as I hate saying this, but that Aho needs our help.”

Kuroko looks up at Kagami and sighs. “You’re just saying that, Kagami-kun, because he’s refused to play you this past month.”

“Yeah, and if that guy doesn’t even want to play ball, then it must be serious.”

“So you guys will help?”

Momoi decides that she will talk to Kasamatsu while Kuroko and Kagami double team Aomine. Divide and conquer. They break and wish each other good luck.

“What is this about, Momoi-kun?” Kasamatsu asks as they sit across the table from each other. Momoi invited Kasamatsu to join her for coffee, making sure that Kise was busy during this time.

“Why do you think I want something? Maybe I just want to hang out with a friend,” Momoi answers sweetly.

“I think you’re great, Momoi-kun, but we aren’t that close. I know that you know Ryouta’s schedule. You purposely called me out here during one of his shoots.”

“Kasamatsu-san, you’re no fun.”

He takes a sip of his coffee. “Is it about that friend of yours, Aomine?”

Momoi laughs nervously. “You’re more perceptive than I thought.”

“Not really.” Kasamatsu sets his coffee down and leans back in his chair. “Ryouta told me about their little encounter last month.”

Momoi is surprised, but her face doesn’t give anything away.  _ They must be more serious than I thought. This may be tricky. _

Kasamatsu tilts his head back and pinches the bridge of his nose. “To be honest, I’d prefer if Aomine would stay away, but I know that isn’t realistic. Ryouta pretends that he’s over it, but he’s not. It’s irritating that he can’t just let this go, but I’m trying to be supportive. If you came here asking for my permission for Aomine to meet with Ryouta, I can’t say that I don’t think it wouldn’t help.” 

Momoi smiles softly. “You really are a good guy, Kasamatsu-san. I’m sorry for putting you through this.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not doing this to help out your friend. I just want Ryouta to be happy.” Kasamatsu locks eyes with her. “I also need to think realistically about where our relationship is going. I’m graduating in less than two months, and all the universities I’m looking at are far away.”

Momoi tries not to perk up at that news.

“We’ve talked a lot about what will happen after graduation, and we both agree that we don’t want to break up.”

“You really are the better guy, Kasamatsu-san. But . . . I’ve known Aomine-kun ever since we were kids. I can’t bear seeing him so depressed. I’m not trying to break you and Ki-chan up, I just want Aomine-kun to face his problems.”

“And I want the same for Ryouta.” 

“You bastards. You tricked me. I thought you were really in trouble.” Aomine grits his teeth, squeezing his hands into fists.

“Wow, I didn’t know you cared that much,” Kagami teases as he throws a basketball at Aomine.

Kuroko holds up his phone with a picture of Kagami laying on the ground, unconscious, with fake blood (i.e. ketchup) leaking from his head. “I can’t believe you thought this was real, Aomine-kun,” Kuroko says with a blank face. 

“I’m going home,” Aomine throws the ball back to Kagami.

“Come on, one game. We haven’t played in a while.” Kagami calls after him.

“Not up for it.”  
“Damn, I already asked Kise, but he said he had a shoot today.”

Aomine turns around and glares at the red head. “I don’t give a fuck what Kise’s doing.”

A slight smile breaks on Kuroko’s usual apathetic face. “Aomine-kun is scary when he’s thinking.”

“Damn, you two are exhausting.” Aomine slumps to the ground and leans back on the metal gate surrounding the court. 

“Listen man,” Kagami sits next to the bluenette, “you need to straighten things out with Kise. You’re bringing everyone down.”

Aomine grumbles.

Kuroko walks over to sit down on his other side. 

“Hey Tetsu,” Aomine sits up slightly, “I never said sorry for how I treated you back then.”

“I know you’re sorry, Aomine-kun.”

“I know, I know,” Aomine growls. “But that idiot was acting all concerned for you and . . .”

Kuroko’s eyes soften. “Thank you for telling me, Aomine-kun.”

“If I knew how nice you’d be with Kise’s influence, I would have forced you talk to him sooner,” Kagami laughs.

“Shut up, Bakagami!”

“Aomine-kun?”

“What?”

“Have you ever actually apologized to Kise-kun?”

“We made up, sort of . . .”

“Until you pissed him off again,” Kagami finishes.

Aomine glares at the redhead.

“Yes, we did not end on good terms, but you were worse to Kise-kun,” Kuroko states matter of factly. 

Kagami looks away and puffs his cheeks out.

“What’s wrong with you, Bakagami?”

“You’re paying for my lunch sometime, Ahomine.”

“Eh? Why?”

“For making me worry about you and making me sit through your apology to my boyfriend. You’re my friend man, but you’re also Tetsuya’s ex, and it’s weird.”

Aomine sneers and slings an arm over Kuroko’s shoulders. “Is poor little Bakagami jealous that Tetsu and I share an unbreakable bond?”

Kuroko and Kagami roll their eyes in unison, and Aomine can’t help but admit how perfect they are for each other. 

“You never answered my question, Aomine-kun.”

“What were we talking about?” Aomine lifts his arm off Kuroko to rub the back of his neck and roll his shoulders.

“You need to apologize to Kise-kun, for middle school and for last month,” Kuroko says in a stern voice, dropping his usual emotionless tone.

“Ah, fuck.” Aomine stands up, lifting the forgotten basketball and hurling it towards the basket.


	12. Sail

Kise walks into the cafe and approaches the counter. Kasamatsu had suggested going someplace new. Kise studies the dark wood tones of the counters and the stylish lighting. The paintings are by local artists, and the pastries are fresh, baked every morning.  _ Maybe I should get something for Murasakibaracchi _ .

He glances around the room, but doesn’t spot Kasamatsu.

_ That’s weird. He’s never late. _

Kise checks his watch. 

_ It’s a bit passed ten. We agreed to meet at ten, right? _

Kise takes his phone out of his back pocket to double check the time and place.

_ Well, I guess not even Yukio can always be on time. I’m definitely holding this against him _ , Kise chuckles.

“What’s so funny?”

“Eek!” Kise jumps and moves away from the voice. He turns around and is face to face with Aomine. “Aominecch . . .” he coughs, “Aomine.”

The bluenette winces at the lack of the nickname, but it goes unnoticed by Kise.

“Well this is a coincidence. I’m just going to wait for senpai over there.” Kise slowly inches away.

Aomine shoves his hands into his pants pockets and looks off to the side. “He’s not coming. This isn’t a coincidence ‘cause he set this up.”

Kise examines him warily. Aomine is wearing dark washed jeans and a black button up with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows and the top two buttons undone. For once, he isn’t wearing basketball shoes, but a nice pair of black, laced up ankle boots. It even looks like he combed his hair. Kise lifts an eyebrow. “What’s with the get up?”

Aomine scowls. “Why you gotta say it like that?”

“You never dress up. I didn’t even know you owned anything other than basketball shoes.” Kise crosses his arms over his chest. “What’s the occasion?”

Aomine grits his teeth. “Coffee with you.” 

He rolls his shoulders in an attempt to release tension, and Kise can’t help but admire how his muscles ripple under the shirt. “You said Yu . . . Kasamatsu-senpai set this up?”

Aomine sighs. “Let’s get coffee and sit down.”

Once they are settled at a table in the back corner, Kise notices the dark bags under Aomine’s eyes. Looking closer, it is evident that the boy had not been sleeping. “You’re nice clothes can’t cover up the fact that you look like shit.”

Aomine runs his fingers through his hair, messing up his neatly combed locks. “Jesus christ, Kise. Can’t catch a fucking break with you.”

Kise reaches over to fix his hair. “It’s gotten longer.”

Aomine closes his eyes and relaxes under his touch. He frowns when Kise pulls away, but he doesn’t stop him. “So, how you been?” He asks as he leans against the wall and yawns.

“Busy.” The blonde watches the cream blend with the coffee as he swirls the liquid around with a mixing stick. “Now that the season is over, I’ve been accepting more jobs.” He abruptly pushes his chair back and stretches his legs under the table.

Aomine cringes at the scraping sound the movement creates. He leans forward and rubs his temple with his two index fingers. A moment passes before he feels the other boy’s shoe bumping against his leg.

Kise sits up and leans forward. He props his elbows on the table, resting his chin on his hands. “You should really get more sleep.”

“I could fall asleep right here.” The bluenette copies Kise’s posture and closes his eyes. 

The young teen reaches a hand across the table and pats Aomine on the head. The boy doesn’t move or react, just keeps his eyes closed. Kise runs his fingers through the midnight blue hair, appreciating the texter.  _ Wow, he even conditioned. His hair is so soft _ . Without thinking, Kise stands up, leaning over the table to lightly kiss Aomine’s forehead. 

The boy’s eyes fly open. They are only a few inches apart, their breath mingling. Neither moves, both staring at each other with wide eyes.

“Shit, sorry.” Kise draws back and heavily sinks into his chair. “Ah . . .” he takes a sip of his coffee as he avoids eye contact. “So what did you want to talk about, Aominecchi?”

Aomine blinks, still recovering from the moment prior. Absentmindedly, he reaches his hand up to touch the place Kise planted the kiss. There’s a slight lingering sensation and it’s hard for the boy to form words. “Ahhhhhh!” He deflates in his chair, tipping his head back to the ceiling. “I’m sorry Kise.”

“Eh?” Kise stops mid sip, startled by Aomine’s outburst.

He sits back up, locking eyes with the blonde sitting across the table. His lips form a thin line, and his eyes burn with determination. “This is what it should have been like.”

Kise sets his mug down. “Sorry, I’m not following.”

“Back then, this is what our relationship should have been like.”

“You’re acting weird, Aominecchi,” Kise chuckles nervously.

“I’m sorry for not knowing what I wanted. I’m sorry for not realizing my feelings sooner. I’m sorry that my timing sucks. But this is what I want us to be.”

“But what about Kurokocchi . . .” Kise trails off.

Aomine slams his hands down on the table, causing Kise to jump. “Forget about Tetsu! He has nothing to do with this. We are just friends.”

“Aominecchi,” Kise whispers. He sighs and reaches up to play with a strand of hair. “I hope that one day we can be friends again, but,” he drops his hand to the table and finally seriously faces Aomine, “I’m in love with Yukio.”

“Yeah,” Aomine slumps back in defeat, “I’m aware.” When he looks back up, he sees Kise’s eyes swell with tears. “Fuck, Kise, don’t cry.”

“Aominecchi, you suck,” Kise sniffles, brushing his tears away with a napkin.

“I know, I’m an idiot.”

“A goddamn idiot.”

“I know.” Aomine smiles as he reaches out to wipe away a stray tear. 

“But I can’t bring myself to hate you. It’s so stupid.”

“Yeah.”

“Stupid Aominecchi.”

  
  


END ACT I


End file.
